Hazy
by noelswonderland
Summary: Even his impassivity has its allure. Kuroko x OC
1. One

**Author's Note:** Since several people asked and he won on the polls, I decided to try to do a 2-3 chapters mini-series on Kuroko with an OC. Forewarning that he may veer OOC since I'm trying to force romantic development in a super short story. Also trying to incorporate information from the character bible (that he likes gentle girls) in a more subtle, backwards kind of way. Hopefully you enjoy it! Updates will be a bit more sporadic than they are with my other stories.

**EDIT:** Added more conversation on Kuroko's part per suggestion. Going off my perspective that I don't think he would be very talkative with Asami until he gets more comfortable with her. But hopefully this accommodates his character better. Thanks!

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**One**

It is difficult to hold back the tears in the face of a broken heart. She tries to grit her teeth and bear it, hands clenched into tight fists at her side. Breaking up is the worst part of any relationship, and although this one has been particularly short, the pain overwhelms her. Is this first love?

As she shuffles out of the courtyard – with the intention of heading back to class – she finds herself running straight into something that sends her reeling backwards. Yet just before she ends up flat on the ground, a hand catches her by the wrist and steadies her.

"Be careful," a voice whispers, albeit with such an even tone that it does not even sound as though he is scolding her.

Asami blinks slowly as she recognizes the light blue hair. Her surprise registers gradually and it takes a moment for her to notice that his fingertips have lingered against her skin, at which point she yanks her arm away from him. "Yeah," she mumbles unappreciatively as she regards him with a critical eye. "Um... are you lost?"

"Lost?" he echoes back flatly, as though it does not even seem a question but more as though he is mimicking her.

Only a second later she realizes that he is, in fact, wearing their school uniform. "Oh," she remarks blankly, "I was wrong. So you do go to this school after all." So the familiarity she feels with his unique hair color is not completely off base. Why, then, is she unable to conjur a name in her mind to match it? Moreover, how did she not notice him standing in the middle of her path?

"You are crying..."

Those words jolts her back to reality and she stares at him quizzically for a moment. Then she realizes that something warm is trickling down the length of her cheeks. Asami lifts her trembling fingers to dab at the salty tears that have wriggled out of the corner of her eyes. "H-huh? That's strange... why am I... all of a sudden...?"

The boy just stares at her with an empty expression. His eyes briefly avert as he slowly digs into his pockets. His lips curve down slightly as he produces a napkin. "Will this work?" He holds it out toward her.

The dark-haired girl bobs her head slightly as she accepts it from him and tries hurriedly to cover the tracks of her silent crying. "You can't tell anyone you saw," she says hurriedly. "They will think that I am being stupid or something."

"Okay."

She pauses to look at him quizzically. Is he some kind of robot? The way he replies almost automatically without any indicative trace of emotion in his voice makes him seem aloof. Yet despite seeming bland at first glance, he is at least kind enough to provide her with... a napkin.

"It's not what you think!" Asami declares suddenly, almost forcefully. "I'm not crying because you bumped into me or something silly like that. I have a reason to be crying! It's a good reason! It's not silly at all!"

He blinks slowly, that blank expression never changing as he just stares at her. "I don't think it sounds silly."

Asami regards him with a look of surprise that she quickly swallows back as her expression sours. "More importantly, why are you here anyways?"

Slowly the boy lowers his gaze. Asami follows to see a trash bag in his hand. It leaves a bitter taste in her mouth, if only because she is being accusatory in the face of a legitimate excuse. And while she points the finger at him, he seems to shrug off all of her words.

"I should apologize, I guess," she admits reluctantly. "But first, what's your name?"

"Kuroko," he mutters quietly. "Kuroko Tetsuya."

"Well, I'm sorry, Tetsuya-kun." Having delivered her apology, she takes a slight bow. By the time she lifts herself up to face him again, she notices that he has already disappeared. A brief glance at her surroundings reveals nothing. Almost like smoke, he has simply vanished. That thought is a little disconcerting but she brushes it off.

While she has no intention of running into that phantom ever again, it is only a short few days later when she encounters him next. Although the circumstances this time are radically different.

"What a pain," Asami grumbles under her breath, twisting her grip on the handle of the baseball bat that is propped against her shoulder. The side of her face stings fiercely and she can only guess that it is the result of a well-aimed punch that came too quick for her to dodge. Although she is admittedly walking away with minimal injuries in comparison to her opponents.

"You are bleeding."

She nearly jumps to hear that remark coming from just beside her. Almost instinctually she swings her bat in the direction of the voice, stopping only just before the metal object collides with the side of the boy's head. Blue hair, she thinks bitterly the moment she recognizes him. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" she bellows.

"I was standing here the whole time."

Her brows furrow in disbelief. Is he trying to mock her or...? "Whatever," Asami finally breathes out irritably, dismissing the situation altogether.

Unaffected by her unkempt appearance – sullied uniform and disheveled hair – he reaches into his pocket and produces a bandaid which he passes over toward her. His expression never changes the entire time. He remains utterly impassive. Yet the gesture itself seems to hint at some inner kindness.

And for the first time, she feels her heart thump as she reaches to take the bandaid. It causes Asami to freeze. What is this feeling? Her focus grows a little hazy. Is it because she was pummeled in the head so many times during the fight?

As though recognizing that she is too distracted to tend to her own wound, the person known as Tetsuya mindfully applies the bandage himself. The feel of his fingertips against her skin, however brief the contact, is surprisingly cool.

"W-What are you...?!"

His eyes meet hers for a moment before he lowers his gaze and starts to leave.

Without thinking, she catches him by the wrist which gives him at least momentary pause. Long enough for her to sputter off her reason for delaying him. "Y-you didn't wait for me to introduce myself last time, you know. It's only polite after you introduce yourself to let the other person do the same."

Although he does not give a verbal response, he seems to stare at her blankly as though waiting.

"Ahem," she gives a cough before saying, "My name is Asami. Yamamoto Asami."

"Yamamoto-san," he echoes in recognition.

"No! You... you can call me Asami. I don't mind."

His head tilts as though he does not understand why she is encouraging him to call her more familiarly. Certainly there appears no outward reason for it. The two are barely acquianted. To begin with, she did not even know that he attended the same school. Nor does she even now know what class or year he is in.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" The girl frowns at him. "You are a first year too, right? There's no reason for us to be so formal then."

Perhaps deeming that it is not worth the effort of arguing, he just gives her a nod, "Yes."

"This time, too. Don't say anything to any teachers, 'kay? It's not as bad as it looks." Although as she says that, she presses a finger to the side of her busted lip, only to pull it away and notice a splotch of blood on the pad of her thumb.

"You should go the nurse's office," he points out matter-of-factly.

That is about as much as she has ever really heard him say. "What are you talking about?" she barks back almost immediately. "If I go there, they will know I got into another fight again. Do you really want me to get suspended?"

"So you did get into a fight," he deduces with a nod.

"Why are you saying that like you are surprised? Well, I mean... it's not really a secret. I don't have the best personality." She gives him a self-deprecating grin.

He blinks slowly as though contemplating those words before muttering, "You don't seem like a bad person, Yamamoto-san."

For a long moment she just stares at him as though dumbfounded. Then finally she lets loose a laugh before reaching up to ruffle the hair on the top of his head. "You're pretty cute, Tetsuya-kun. I like you." She gives a decisive nod to punctuate that declaration.

He, in turn, gently pushes her hand away from his head and smoothes his hair back down with his fingers. One stubborn strand seems to evade his attempts, however, and sticks up at an odd angle.

"Say, are you in any sports clubs?" The moment the question leaves her mouth, she doubts herself. How can he be? In consideration of the other guys at their school, he is somewhat short and does not appear particularly muscular. So she clears her throat and clarifies, "Or any clubs, really."

"Basketball. I'm in the basketball club."

Her brows furrow, head tilting with an accompany look of suspicion. "Are you trying to make fun of me since I actually thought you might be involved with a sports club?"

He blinks several times before shaking his head.

"Wait, so you really are on the basketball team? Bench warmer?"

"No, I play regularly."

"There's no way," she says in a voice just above a whisper. Yet the look on his face does not seem at all deceitful. Is he not lying to impress her? But it seems as though he is being honest. Asami sighs, "Okay, then you should have practice after school, right?"

He nods.

"Then I'll come watch you." At that she gives him a big grin with a thumbs up. "Don't worry. You won't even notice that I'm there. I just want to come watch. That's okay, right?"

The silence that she is met with in turn she simply decides to take as a 'yes'. They part ways at that point and after school she makes good on her promise. Trying to be as discreet as possible, she tiptoes into the gym and keeps herself to the shadows so as not to be disruptive.

Asami presses her back against the wall and watches silently. At first she thinks she has been deceived, since she does not spot him. It takes a few minutes before she catches sight of that blue hair streaking across the court. And she wonders how she could have missed him in the beginning. At once he is eye catching and simultaneously unnoticeable in that he usually goes completely undetected.

The more she watches him, the more she can feel an aching in her chest that she has never felt before. Strange, she thinks, because this is a sensation she did not even experience when she had a boyfriend. Not to this degree... Why? Why does she feel so...?

All of a sudden she feels something bump against her feet and only belatedly does she realize that it is a basketball that has strayed from the court. Without thinking, she stoops down to pick it up, but as she is standing, she finds herself at eye level with Tetsuya who seems out of breath and covered in perspiration. Yet in the back of her mind, she wonders how accidental it is for him to suddenly lose the basketball and for it to come in her direction.

"Here," she says, holding it out toward him.

"You came."

Those two words startle her. He was expecting her? Does that mean... he was hoping she would come? Her heart is pounding furiously for some reason and she finds her grip loosening on the basketball. And then at that exact moment, his fingertips brush against her hands as he reaches to grab it. Almost immediately she jumps back in surprise, flinging the round object from her hands.

It bounces against the floor and rolls a short distance away. Both of their gazes seem to follow after it until she takes a sharp inhale and peers back at his face. He does not seem angry or irritated – rather, that expressoin of his is blank as ever.

"S-sorry." It is unusual for her to apologize, and she knows it. At almost the same moment they both reach to grab for it and yet again, her hand bumps against his. While she freezes, he finishes reaching for the ball before turning to look at her.

"Yamamoto-san?"

She looks at him in surprise but tries to hide it behind a nervous smile. Why is she sweating so bad? Her palms feel almost clammy as she curls her fingers into tight fists that she hides behind her back.

"Your face is red. Fever?" he mumbles to himself. He holds the basketball against his side and reaches over toward her with his other hand. It comes within inches of her forehead before she instinctually grasps his wrist to keep him from touching her.

"I-I have... have to go home. Really bad. There's... studying. Homework. Things to do. Bye, Tetsuya-kun!" Hastily she peels herself away and speeds out of there as fast as her legs will carry her, but the whole time it seems as though her heart is about to beat right out of her chest. Why? What's wrong with her? That guy seems really weak – has she fallen for him, of all people?


	2. Two

**Author's Note:** So after an exhausting first week in Uni, I have somehow successfully managed to write the second chapter of this story. orz I am under the impression that it will probably end up 4-5 chapters long, actually. More than I intended but I assume everyone will be grateful all the same? Again, I apologize if Kuroko is OOC. I think I'm starting to get a better handle on his personality. He's just not my favorite so that brings added challenge.

Also I don't exactly have a proofreader/beta reader so if you see typos or whatnot, I'm honestly sorry. I edit everything myself so I'm trying my best. ;A;

**This is set during Seirin, not Teikou just so everyone knows.**

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**Two**

"Tetsu-kun!"

An unfamiliar mane of cotton candy pink streams across her vision. Asami's first instinct is to put herself between Tetsuya and this unidentified assailant – and in so doing she finds herself caught in an uncomfortably suffocating embrace by a woman whose breast size is double that of her own.

"Huh? Who are you?"

"Yamamoto-san... it is alright. I know her."

Asami bristles at those words, if only because she does not think Tetsuya should be so relaxed around someone who seems perfectly content to fly right into him. Although she knows it is none of her business. Maybe the two have... that... kind of relationship? She frowns to herself.

"Yo, Tetsu."

"Aomine-kun," the lighter blue-haired greets in turn with a nod of acknowledgment.

"Tetsu-kun, who is this girl? I thought we were just meeting up with the three of us?" the pink-haired girl inquires as she peels herself away. Still she wears a curious expression on her face as she seems to walk a circle around Asami as though inspecting her.

Although these actions are generally intolerable to her, Asami makes a point of exercising her patience for Tetsuya's sake. She grips her hands into tight fists before relaxing and attempting a smile. "Sorry, we sort of ran into each other and I insisted on tagging along. He didn't exactly invite me." Apologizing leaves a bitter taste on her tongue but she forces the words out just the same.

"So you're a new friend Tetsu-kun made at school?" the pink-haired girl deduces with a grin. "I'm Satsuki, by the way! Momoi Satsuki. Ah, and this is Dai-chan."

"Aomine Daiki," he corrects. Although the taller, darker skinned man does not seem half as excited to meet Asami. In fact, judging by the expression on his face, he gives the impression of being both perpetually bored and simultaneously annoyed. She gets the feeling he would rather be anywhere but here.

"Yamamoto Asami. It's nice to meet you?" She knows she shouldn't sound so ambivalent about that but, frankly, she would much rather be alone with Tetsuya than stuck with these two unfamiliar people. Although she supposes that hanging around them might give her more insight into the mystery that is Kuroko Tetsuya.

Aomine scowls as his gaze sweeps across the surrounding area, as though looking for something – or someone. "Where's Kagami?"

"The rest of the team said they would come later," Tetsuya answers.

They seem like an odd group to be visiting a shrine together for the New Year. Although Asami herself is only here by coincidence. Bumping into Tetsuya just twenty minutes ago had not been something she had anticipated. Although given the opportunity to spend the New Year with him as opposed to fighting with strangers, she has to say she prefers the former.

"Oh wow, your arm is all bruised. Are you alright?" Momoi asks, having latched onto Asami's wrist.

"Hm?" Surprised that someone has paid close enough attention to notice, Asami glances down. Her skin does appear somewhat splotchy with bruises of varying colors. She does not seem particularly affected by it, though. "Ah, yeah. They're usually like that."

"What?" Momoi gasps in surprise.

As though sensing that this may lead into an awkward conversation, Tetsuya suddenly appears between the two of them, breaking Momoi's grip on Asami's arm. "Momoi-san, you said you wanted to visit the food stands before we meet up with everyone else."

"Ah! That's right. We should hurry, Dai-chan. Let's go!" She pumps her fist into the air and then proceeds to lead them like a marching band toward wherever the stalls are apparently located. Aomine seems unenthused as he shoves his hands into his pockets and trails behind her.

"Sorry," Asami mumbles to Tetsuya. The two of them linger behind and end up walking side-by-side. She wonders if he is intentionally matching her pace or if he is just naturally used to lingering behind since he is largely forgotten and unnoticed even in small groups of people.

"There is nothing for you to apologize for, Yamamoto-san."

"No," she says with a shake of her head. "I don't want to embarrass you. What would your friends think if you were hanging out with a yankee?" A self-deprecating laugh follows as she averts her eyes. These are one of the few times she finds herself lamenting the fact that her temper flares so easily that she ends up tangled in unnecessary fights all the time.

Those icy blue eyes study her side profile for a moment as they walk and he finally says, "Even so, I don't think you are a bad person. But I do think you should stop fighting."

Asami stares back at him and lets out a delayed chuckle. "Is that so?"

"You could try talking it out instead, if you have disagreements with someone. I don't think using your fists is the right way to solve things." Although it sounds the same as the lectures she has heard a million times before from teachers, there is something powerful about those words when they come from Tetsuya.

"Maybe," she concedes. "Next time I guess I could... try to talk it out? But I don't think it's that simple, either."

"Waaah! They have it this year! Look, Dai-chan! We have to go to that one there!" Momoi seems to have spotted something that has piqued her interest, at which point she immediately whisks Aomine along with her over to one the stands.

"You don't want to go too?" Asami asks suddenly as she notices that Tetsuya seems perfectly content to linger behind.

He only shakes his head. "Momoi-san is the one who wanted to visit the stands."

"Ah, then how about..." thoughtfully, she traces her chin before saying, "Aren't we supposed to get our fortunes read?"

"Okay." He does not seem particularly inclined either way, and she gets the feeling that he will show little emotion regardless of what suggestion she makes.

Honestly, this will be the first time in quite a few years for her to be partaking in the New Year activities. She grins to herself as she starts down the stone path leading to the shrine. Tetsuya follows along silently behind her. Perhaps due to his diminished presence, however, he finds people constantly bumping into him as they try to manuever through the crowds.

"Watch out."

"Hey, look where you're going!"

There is a moment where he is almost swept away by a wave of people, at which point Asami is forced to yank him out. "Jeez, I don't know how you'd get around by yourself," she grumbles as she grips his hand in hers. "Here, like this, then you won't get lost in the crowd."

"Thank you." Although his tone of voice does not convey gratitude – he sounds as flat and unaffected as ever, which makes it all the more comical.

She finds herself laughing as she pulls him along.

"What are you laughing for?" he asks, brows lifted questioningly.

Asami can scarcely hear his voice over the clamor of the people around them. She grins back at him, though, and says, "There's never a dull moment with you around, Tetsuya-kun. You are unexpectedly a lot of fun."

"You should smile like that more, Yamamoto-san."

Her face lights up and she instinctively yanks her hand away from him, stuffing it into the pocket of her jacket. "U-um... well... anyways, we're here. You can go first." She motions for him to move ahead, if only because she is afraid he'll end up swallowed by the line of people if she does not keep a close eye on him.

"Alright..."

Moments later, she finds herself unfolding a slip of paper only to declare, "Worst luck! Crap, this is why I don't do this anymore. It's always the same every year. I can't catch a break. How many of these do they even give out? What are the chances?"

"Excellent luck," Tetsuya recites solemnly.

"No friggin' way. What are the odds of this?" she sighs.

He reaches over and pulls the slip of paper from her grasp. After a moment, he manages to tie the two pieces together in what looks like a makeshift bow. No doubt it is clumsily constructed but she thinks she understands the sentiment. "If we combine them then we can both have normal luck."

"B-but, um... if you do that... I mean, I don't think you... want your luck tied to me."

"I don't mind."

Asami fidgets in return as he passes over the tied paper strands. She cups it in her hands and steals a glimpse at Tetsuya, who seems completely oblivious of what she is thinking. Although she suspects he does not realize, there is some significance to tying one's luck together.

"Yamamoto-san."

Startled by his voice, she jerks her head up. "Y-Yeah?"

His index finger jabs in the direction of the tree where other people – couples, noticeably – are tying their fortunes. "Are you not going to tie it?" The way he says it almost sounds more like a statement than a question since his voice is so flat.

Asami grins at him. "Hm, I guess we should, huh?" Although by the time they make their way over there, she finds that most of the branches at her level are pretty full. "Maybe... we should put it on a higher branch, but..."

Tetsuya suddenly holds out his hand. "I can do it for you, Yamamoto-san."

Although she has not really paid much attention to it before, it's true that he is slightly taller than she is. She smiles softly and passes over the two fortunes. "Will it be easy to tie them since they're already tied together?" she wonders aloud.

He stares at her thoughtfully for a moment before untying the fortunes from each other. By some feat, he manages to reunite them on the branch of a tree by tying them all together in something that more or less resembles a knot. Asami wants to be impressed but the job ends up looking a little makeshift. Tetsuya raises his brows at her. "You are laughing again...?"

"Sorry, sorry. It's just like I said earlier. You're really fun to be with, Tetsuya-kun."

By now they have completely lost track of both Momoi and Aomine, having wandered off to the shrine by themselves. At the thought of that, Asami quickly speaks up, "Shouldn't we get back to your friends? Uh... Momoi-san and the tall, grumpy looking guy?"

He gives a nod. "Mm. Although..." his gaze shifts to the crowd of bustling people and it becomes quite apparent that locating anyone amongst this chaos will be near impossible.

"Ah, you could call or text them!"

Tetsuya stares at her for a moment. "I did not bring my phone."

"Y-you're kidding..."

"No," he responds with a shake of his head.

It is quite obviously that he has no reason to lie. Tetsuya is not the type to do so anyways. She breathes out an exasperated sigh. "Okay, well... then what do you want to do? Do you want to go home?" Although it seems a little anticlimactic for their night to end so suddenly. She also suspects that his intention in coming out tonight was not to end up hanging out with her until the wee hours of the morning, when dawn's first light peeks over the horizon.

"You do not want to wait to see the first sunrise?" he asks with a blank expression.

This is what makes him impossible to read and she finds herself somewhat disadvantaged as a result. Nonetheless, she gives a sharp shake of her head. "No, I wouldn't mind staying and seeing them with everyone. I just thought you might get bored with me. It's kind of my fault you got separated from your friends." She lets out an awkward laugh at that, though there is little humor to be found.

"We can meet up with them later."

"Then... should we go look at the food stands?"

"Alright," he agrees. Then suddenly he holds his hand out toward her.

She stares at him in surprise, blinking slowly as if confused at the gesture.

"So I don't get lost."

Asami's lips crack into a grin. Does he really believe that? "Haha, okay, Tetsuya-kun." She does not contest it either way and threads her fingers with his before yanking him along.


	3. Three

**Author's Note:** This might seem rather anticlimactic, however, given how busy I have been with school, this took a lot longer than expected to get out. I was hoping to make the story longer with more development but alas... I am admittedly not a big Kuroko fan and this story proved especially hard to write. (Lack of motivation, difficulty finding interest in studying the character so as to get him properly in character.)

**He is probably out of character in this chapter.** I'm sorry for that - I wanted to give romantic development and end the story. Otherwise I was afraid I would never be able to finish it. I still hope you guys enjoy and thank you for waiting, thank you for reading!

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**Three**

"Your cheek is swollen."

The sound of his voice brings her some comfort and she smiles despite the pain. As though suddenly feeling self-conscious, she lifts a hand to press over the bruised half of her face. "I was being a little more reckless than usual. You don't have to mind it."

All of a sudden she feels something frigid press against the back of her hand. She jerks away instinctively and peers up at him with a quizzical look. He gives her that impassive expression, still holding out a can of soda toward her. "Thirsty, Yamamoto-san?"

"You are surprisingly thoughtful, Tetsuya-kun," she commends, happily accepting the cold beverage. Rather than start gulping it down, she presses it against her cheek. The numbing cold brings relief and she finds herself sighing contentedly.

He settles down on the step beside her without saying a word. They gaze silently out at the empty field in front of them. It is surprisingly quiet – though that is, of course, because it is lunch time and most people are in the cafeteria or the classrooms.

"Where is your drink?" she asks suddenly, noticing that he is empty-handed.

Tetsuya points at the can in her hand. "That was my drink."

"Huh? Then why did you give it to me?"

"You looked thirsty."

Asami chokes back a laugh. "That's a pretty ridiculous reason, you know. Well, it's not like I don't appreciate it though." She pauses to open it and take a sip. The bubbly liquid racing down her throat proves refreshing and she finds herself grinning. "Ah, I really love this flavor. You have good taste, Tetsuya-kun."

"Have you eaten yet, Yamamoto-san?"

"No," she admits a little reluctantly, "I don't really... have an appetite today."

Those innocent eyes of his gaze at her – though she cannot read the emotion behind them. Interest? Or maybe disinterest? He just silently stares at her, to the point where it's almost unnerving. And just as she thinks that maybe she should get up, he finally asks, "Is something wrong?"

It is ironic that he asks and she smiles sardonically before taking a long gulp of soda. "Actually, since you asked, I have a question for you, Tetsuya-kun. Have you ever had someone confess to you before? Momoi-san has, hasn't she?"

"You received a confession?" he guesses.

"Heh, that would be the day, right?" Asami stares down at the can in her hand. With most of the liquid inside gone combined the heat of the day, the can does not feel quite so cold anymore. And although she presses it to her cheek, the cold does little to relieve her pain. "I don't think... I'm cute or feminine at all. Guys don't like girls like me, do they?" The last part of that sentence is more or less mumbled and not intended to reach Tetsuya's ears.

Asami suddenly feels something heavy weighing down on her head. It takes a moment before she realizes it is Tetsuya's hand, gently patting her. "You are cute and feminine, Yamamoto-san."

Her cheeks flush and Asami cannot scarcely find the nerve to even peer over at him to see the expression on his face. Is he just saying that? Does he really think so? Her chest aches as she thinks that maybe this is a good opportunity to–

All of a sudden the bell rings and Asami finds herself audibly cursing under her breath. What rotten luck. And almost instantaneously she feels Tetsuya retract his hand. His shadow falls across her as he stands to leave and she feels her heart sinking. Just as he starts to head back into the building, her hand shoots out and she grasps his wrist.

"T... Tetsuya-kun." Here it comes. She can do it, she has to.

"Yamamoto-san?" he returns questioningly, peering down at her.

Asami swallows hard, her other hand tightly gripping the nearly empty can. It bends audibly under the force but she has already closed out all outside nose. All she can hear now is the beat of her heart, echoing noisily in her ears. Her cheeks are heating up and suddenly she feels like she is boiling from the inside. The fingers gripping at Tetsuya's wrist are suddenly slick with sweat as she struggles with the words.

"Uh... that is... I... you see..."

_Moron, just spit it out already._

"I... I really... I really like..."

His brows peak.

"I like this soda!"

He blinks several times while staring at her, and it seems he is as speechless as she is after the declaration.

Asami reluctantly retracts her hand and stands up, giving a stiff bow. "Excuse me..." It seems rather formal and unnatural but she speeds off as quickly as she can, embarrassed by the display. Of all things to pop out of her mouth – liking soda was definitely not what she intended to say.

_Idiot, idiot, idiot._

But while she admonishes herself inwardly, she swears that while that is one screwed up opportunity, she will not mess up another.

After school, she loiters outside of the gym waiting for the basketball team to finish practice. One by one the members trickle out and she watches them silently, counting one by one until she finally spots that familiar head of light blue hair. Almost immediately she charges up to him – a little too enthusiastically perhaps, because she comes to a skidding halt just in front of him.

"T-Tetsuya-kun!"

"Good evening, Yamamoto-san," he greets her, seemingly oblivious.

"Ah... Kuroko, I'm going on ahead," the taller man who had been walking beside him seems to be able to adequately read the situation and quickly excuses himself.

In the absence of his friend, Tetsuya stares at Asami with a blank look on his face.

"S-sorry. I didn't mean to drive off your friend."

He shakes his head as though he doesn't mind. "Did you need something, Yamamoto-san?"

Taking a deep inhale, she prepares herself. She has – after all – spent the entire time up until now rehearsing her lines. And although she does not consider Tetsuya a particularly intimidating person, given his small stature and easygoing nature, he is strangely imposing when he is standing in front of her with that unreadable expression on his face. She finds herself fidgeting. "Uh, do you... want to walk together? For a little bit."

"Okay." Although he does not look particularly confused, he gives the impression of being entirely oblivious to the subject of the conversation.

They start toward the school gates and while time is passing quickly, Asami finds her thoughts too tangled to separate. And the words seem jumbled at the back of her throat. It is a struggle before she finally blurts out something unintended. "Do you have someone you like?" She realizes how blunt it is and belatedly corrects herself, "Uh, I mean, I was just wondering. You don't have to tell me if you don't–"

"I do."

That shocks her and she finds that her entire body freezes up. Unable to move, she stands there just a short distance from the school gates, her eyes glued to the ground. And her throat feels parched all of a sudden. It proves difficult to swallow. _So he does have someone he likes. Is it Momoi-san?_ The possibilities race through her head.

"Yamamoto-san?"

Her head jerks and she realizes that he is positioned a few steps ahead, peering over his shoulder back at her. "Oh, sorry..."

"You also have someone you like?"

It is amazing how he seems to guess that solely from the expression on her face and she finds herself choking back a surprised, "How did you know?!"

He smiles knowingly and it only makes her feel more uneasy.

Since the cat is practically out of the bag, she charges toward him and suddenly grasps his hand in hers. Although disappointed to hear he already has someone he likes, she tells him with great determination, "I'll make you notice me."

His lips round and his brows rise as though surprised. "Yamamoto-san?"

She nods sharply. "I'll become a better person – stop fighting – and... make better grades. So you have to wait until then. Don't accept anyone's confession. 'Cause... 'cause I really like you, Tetsuya-kun! And... and..." Almost as soon as she realizes what she's blurted out, she releases his hand and steps back. "Uh... anyways, that is... Bye." Feeling awkward and out of her comfort zone, she takes a running start out the gate after giving him an abrupt wave, her cheeks colored a bright tomato red the whole time.

Left behind, Kuroko slowly stares down at his hand. He can still feel the lingering warmth of her fingers that had moments before been desperately clutching at his. His lips break into a smile as he glances after her before adjusting his grip on his book bag and starting out the gate, looking uncharacteristically happy.

—

"I don't understand this. I don't understand... any of this," she mutters to herself in defeat. This is probably the first time she has seen the inside of the school library, let alone stayed after to preoccupy herself with her text books. Speaking of which, when was the last time she cracked them open outside of the classroom?

Asami sinks into her seat in despair. This whole promise of getting better grades is something she swore offhandedly without much consideration and it is proving far more difficult than she had initially pictured.

It certainly doesn't help that she has made of a point of avoiding going anywhere that she might encounter Tetsuya. For the past few days, she has been staying in her classroom for lunch and leaving before basketball practice ends. Disappointingly, it has been all too effective. She has not even caught so much as a glimpse of his face.

She collapses forward, the side of her face pressed into her open text book. "This is too boring. And I haven't been getting into fights either..." On the upside, her complexion has grown better as a result and the swelling is gone – replaced by a faint bruise.

Asami finds herself staring out the window absently. The sky is growing dark. Is it going to rain? Of course, since she never checks the weather, she has not bothered to think of bringing an umbrella. Not that it matters – she is not one to preoccupy herself with concern over going home drenched. In fact, she quite likes the rain.

Groaning to herself, she closes her eyes. "I want to see Tetsuya-kun." Just the thought of seeing him makes her heart beat a little faster. Stupid – how is she suppose to face him now after such a hasty confession? Were her feelings even conveyed properly? Maybe he misunderstood. Or he purposefully hasn't made a point of seeking her out afterward because he does not care. He does have someone he likes after all.

Asami bites down on her thumb nail. "No good. I can't be defeated this easily. But if it's Momoi-san, her chest is a lot bigger than mine. And her hair looks nicer... How am I supposed to beat that? Shit." The anxiety is gnawing at her.

"Who are you trying to beat?"

She jolts upright at the sound of his voice, nearly falling backwards in her chair. "T-T-Tetsuya-kun?!" her voice sounds unusually high-pitched as she squeaks out his name.

The blue-haired boy tilts his head at her.

"W-what are you doing in the library?" she asks incredulously. How did he manage to sneak in without her even hearing his footsteps?

"I asked your teacher where you were," he tells her matter-of-factly.

Her forehead creases. "Why would you...?" More importantly, how had her teacher even figured out she had been going to the library lately? "Ah, but basketball practice–"

Tetsuya points at the clock on the wall behind her. "It's already over."

"Oh..."

Silence falls between them and she immediately averts her eyes. The last thing she was expecting was for him to suddenly seek her out in the library. Has he come to reject her? Her eyes widen and immediately she starts scrambling to gather her books into her bag. If she can manage to get out of here quickly, she can avoid hearing what he has to say.

_You're being a coward._ Even though she realizes that, she does not hesitate – better to run away than face rejection.

But then she feels a hand seize her shoulder and she nearly screams in surprise.

"Sorry," he says, retracting his hand.

"Oh... no... you just surprised me."

"About what you said last time, Yamamoto-san..."

Panicked, she holds up a hand in front of his face. "That's okay, you don't have to give me your answer, I already know!"

"You do?"

"Yeah... you don't have to tell me." Her shoulders sink in disappointment and her eyes shift down to staring at her own feet. How embarrassing. How frustratingly embarrassing. How could she fall for someone like him? And then to be rejected on top of that... Beaten by Momoi no less.

To her shock, she suddenly feels his hand grasp hers. "Are you ready to go?"

Confused, Asami peers back up at him with furrowed brows. "Um... go where? And why are you holding my hand? You said you already have someone you like."

"I like Asami-san."

Her jaw drops. "You... know another Asami?"

He shakes his head, face still avoid of a discernible expression. "Just you, Asami-san."

"So you... like me?"

His head bobs.

"Are you sure?"

Another nod.

Asami's gaze shifts to the hand clasping hers and she feels her cheeks heat up. A grin works its way onto her lips as she tries to work out a proper reaction. Finally she manages out, "Oh..." as she realizes the meaning behind his words and actions. "I guess that means... Momoi-san isn't my rival?"

"Rival?" he echoes back questioningly.

Asami quickly laughs it off. "Well, it's okay if you don't know what I mean."

He suddenly squeezes her hand. "Let's go."

"O-okay... but do you have an umbrella?"

"… no."

"M-me either... I guess we'll get wet."

"That's okay."

Asami gazes over at his side profile as they head out of the library and down the hallway together. The warmth on her cheeks still hasn't faded but she finds herself grinning as she recognizes a smile on Tetsuya's face. It is one of the few times she has seen anything other than that blank expression on his face. And so she squeezes his hand a little tighter, the sound of their footsteps drowned out by the rain beating down on the glass doors in front of them.


End file.
